THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING [1975 / 2003] [Limited Edition DigiBook] [Blu-ray] [USA Release] Swashbuckling Adventure In All Its Glory! Long Live Adventure . . . and Adventurers!
Based on a Rudyard Kipling story and packed with spectacle, humour, excitement and bold twists of fate, with director John Huston’s film ‘THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING’ earns its crown as “An Epic like no other. One of the screen’s greatest yarns” (Peter Perry of Guide for the Film Fanatic).
Sir Sean Connery and Sir Michael Caine find them with their chins out, shoulders squared and with a sly wink, star as British sergeants Daniel "Danny" Dravot and Peachy Carehan. The Empire was built by men like these two. Now they’re out to build their own Empire, venturing into remote Kafiristan (in modern-day Afghanistan, the province is now known as Nuristan), in the hope of becoming "gods," but unfortunately they lose everything and find out that destiny was definitely not on their side, meaning they were both hoping that some kind of hidden power is believed to control their future events; like fate.
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 1976 Academy Awards®: Nominated: Best Writing, Screenplay Adapted From Other Material for John Huston and Gladys Hill. Nominated: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration for Alexandre Trauner, Peter James and Tony Inglis. Nominated: Best Costume Design for Edith Head. Nominated: Best Film Editing for Russell Lloyd. 1976 Golden Globes: Nominated: Best Original Score for a Motion Picture for Maurice Jarre. 1976 BAFTA Awards: Nominated: BAFTA Film Award for Best Cinematography for Oswald Morris. Nominated: BAFTA Film Award for Best Costume Design for Edith Head. 1976 Writers Guild of America: Nominated: WGA Award (Screen) for Best Drama Adapted from Another Medium for John Huston and Gladys Hill.
FILM FACT No.2: ‘THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING’ had been a pet project of John Huston's for many years after he had read the book as a child. John Huston had planned to make the film since the 1950s, originally with Clark Gable and Humphrey Bogart in the roles of Daniel "Danny" Dravot and Peachy Carehan. John Huston was unable to get the project off the ground before Humphrey Bogart died in 1957; Clark Gable followed in 1960. Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas were then approached to play the leads, followed by Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole. In the 1970s, John Huston approached Robert Redford and Paul Newman for the roles. Paul Newman advised John Huston that British actors should play the roles, and it was he who recommended Sir Sean Connery and Sir Michael Caine. Christopher Plummer was cast as Rudyard Kipling as a last minute replacement for Richard Burton. The film was shot at Pinewood Studios and at locations in France and Ouarzazate, Morocco. While on location, Sir Michael Caine strongly objected to the racist treatment of Saeed Jaffrey, who had been cast to play the Gurkha guide Billy Fish. Both Sir Sean Connery and Sir Michael Caine considered the film their favourite of all they had worked on. When Peachy Carehan remarks of himself with Daniel "Danny" Dravot having to fight through the Khyber Pass under "Bob" Roberts he is referring to the Second Anglo-Afghan War of 1878 – 1880 and to General Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts, VC, KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, KStJ, VD, PC, FRSGS (30th September, 1832 – 14th November, 1914). The film inaccurately has Peachy Carehan referring to himself as a "gunnery sergeant;" the correct rank for this time is that of colour sergeant. Maurice Jarre scored the film and invited classical Indian musicians to participate in the recording sessions with a traditional European symphony orchestra. A key song, which figures within the plot of the film, and is a fusion of the music of the Irish song "The Minstrel Boy" with the lyrics of Reginald Heber's "The Son of God Goes Forth to War." This song is heard at key moments in the music film score, notably being sung by Daniel "Danny" Dravot as he is being executed and as he tumbles to his death. The film's performance of “The Minstrel Boy” is by William Lang, late of the Black Dyke Band and the London Symphony Orchestra. Sir Sean Connery and Sir Michael Caine later sued Allied Artists for what they felt was improper percentage profit share and they were reportedly awarded $250,000 each.
Cast: Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Christopher Plummer, Saeed Jaffrey, Doghmi Larbi, Jack May, Karroom Ben Bouih, Mohammad Shamsi, Albert Moses, Paul Antrim, Graham Acres, The Blue Dancers of Goulamine, Shakira Caine, Nadia Atbib (uncredited), Yvonne Ocampo (uncredited), Gurmuks Singh (uncredited) and Kimat Singh (uncredited)
Director: John Huston
Producers: John Foreman and William Hill (uncredited)
Screenplay: Gladys Hill (screenplay), John Huston (screenplay) and Rudyard Kipling (based on the story)
Composer: Maurice Jarre
Cinematography: Oswald Morris, B.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 (Panavision)
Audio: English: 1.0 DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English SDH, French and Spanish
Running Time: 129 minutes
Region: All Regions
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Columbia Pictures / Allied Artists Pictures Corporation / Warner Home Video
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING’ [1975] opens with author Rudyard Kipling [Christopher Plummer] working in his study and his solitude is broken by the arrival of a tattered, half-mad derelict, who is soon revealed to be his old acquaintance Peachy Carnahan [Sir Michael Caine]. As Rudyard Kipling listens in rapture fascination, Peachy Carnahan relates the incredible adventures of himself and his partner-in-chicanery Daniel "Danny" Dravot [Sir Sean Connery].
Con men Peachy Carnahan and Daniel "Danny" Dravot have masterminded all sorts of underhanded money-making schemes, the most elaborate of which takes them eventually to a remote city in the hills of eastern Afghanistan in a place called Kafiristan, (in modern-day Afghanistan, the province is now known as Nuristan), and it is through methods both foul and fair, and with the help of Peachy Carnahan instils in Daniel "Danny" Dravot to pass himself off as the incarnation of Alexander the Great, and of course to be able to lay their hands on the vast riches all around him. Unfortunately, Daniel "Danny" Dravot begins to believe his own lies, and the results are disastrous for both himself and Peachy Carnahan. Inadvertently exposing Daniel "Danny" Dravot's scheme is his native wife Roxanne, played by Shakira Caine (Sir Michael Caine's real-life wife).
‘THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING’ is set in colonial India in the l800s, and the film follows the exploits of two rogue British Army sergeants, Daniel "Danny" Dravot [Sir Sean Connery] and Peachy Carnehan [Sir Michael Caine]. During a skirmish, Daniel "Danny" Dravot is shot in the chest with an arrow; rather than entering his flesh, and it lodges in his “bandolier” or a “bandoleer” [a pocketed belt for holding ammunition] which of course was worn under his red tunic coat and not as stated with different reviews of this film that the arrow struck the Masonic pendant that was originally owned by Rudyard Kipling, but cheekily purloined by Peachy Carnehan. To the native’s astonishment, Daniel "Danny" Dravot draws the arrow out without a trace of blood or injury, leading them to believe him to be a god. But when both soldiers eventually end up in their ultimate destination, but when eventually the High Priest is about to plunge the sword into Daniel "Danny" Dravot and suddenly sees the Masonic medallion, that is when Daniel "Danny" Dravot is declared and crowned as a god. But the two soldiers take advantage of their situation with great relish and the luxuries are bestowed upon them in great quantities, But with an unfortunate twist of fate happens to Daniel "Danny" Dravot, and on the fateful day when their sham is discovered and the natives turn on them with great ferocity and eventually a dreadful fate is bestowed upon Daniel "Danny" Dravot.
‘THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING’ manages to be great deal of fun in itself while being most faithful to Rudyard Kipling, whose story, written in the 1890's, is a kind of raffish metaphor for the British colonial experience that did not end for another half century. But this really isn't what ‘THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING’ film is about. It's a tall tale, a legend, of steadfastness, courage, camaraderie, gallantry and greed, though not necessarily in that order. Daniel "Danny" Dravot and Peachy Carnehan are grand and totally old-fashioned adventurers with the gift of gab and a sense of style. Outrageously disguised as a holy man and his servant, they climb mountains and cross glaciers to penetrate the forbidden territory where, through luck and a series of coincidences, they realise their wildest dreams.
Director John Huston has done a magnificent job capturing the exotic quality, excitement, and morality of Rudyard Kipling's tale. Sir Michael Caine and Sir Sean Connery are perfectly matched as the comrades whose wit, courage, and ambition carry them into the fulfilment of their dream. The cinematography by Oswald Morris is suitably lush, and the musical soundtrack of Maurice Jarre is a romantic counterpoint to the action throughout the film.
Rudyard Kipling's story is brought to life in grand style by Sir Sean Connery, Sir Michael Caine and director John Huston, in bringing the Rudyard Kipling's characters pay dearly for their avarice. While bedridden as a child, director John Huston became a student of Rudyard Kipling's writing. In an l976 article for the Film Encyclopaedia, John Huston remarked, "I read so much Rudyard Kipling, it's in my unconscious and when you start a verse, you have to finish it.”
Though director John Huston never leans toward blunt social commentary, Rudyard Kipling's allegory of the waning days of the British Empire reads clearly enough throughout the film, and the result was a rare screen chemistry that drives the narrative wonderfully. Also Sir Michael Caine said, "Most directors today don't know what they want – so they shoot everything they can think of. They use the camera like a machine gun, whereas director John Huston used it like a sniper." The film is on a grand-scale; where they "don't-make-'em-like-that-anymore" adventure that plays out like Rudyard Kipling himself would likely have imagined it.
Christopher Plummer holds down the role of Rudyard Kipling himself in a performance that makes it difficult to imagine anyone different playing the role and on top of all that Christopher Plummer doesn’t have the opportunity to be as playful or cheeky as his co-stars Sir Sean Connery and, Sir Michael Caine in their colourful characterizations who provide the anchor with the film, and who instil a sense of legitimacy to the story, even though of course it is, of course, not true. The film ‘THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING’ has steadily grown in stature and reputation in over thirty-years since it initial release in the cinema and John Huston said of his personal epic, especially the gestation period during which he hoped to get his film made, and at times feared he would never get made, and said, “To see a dream realized is one of the most rewarding things that can happen to a person.” And for thousands of movie-lovers worldwide, seeing ‘THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING,’ which is one of the greatest adventures in film history, especially in home cinema set-up and in pristine high definition is of course an incredible rewarding experience.
Rudyard Kipling writes about a world no longer with us, a geography gone. It's the world of adventure, high honour, mystery." Rudyard Kipling's romantic worldview may well have informed Huston's adult life, with his experiences as a Mexican cavalry officer, big-game hunter, boxer, painter and even opera singer. There could be no more perfect director as John Huston then, to helm the larger-than-life story of ‘THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING’ [1975].
As a nice little bonus, I think it is good to know the actual Filming Locations of ‘THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING’ which is as follows: Atlas Mountains, Morocco; Glen Canyon, Utah, USA; Grande Montée, Mont-Blanc, Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, France; Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK; Tagadirt el Bour, High Atlas, Morocco (representing the Er-Heb village); Tifoultoute, Morocco (representing the battle scene); Ouarzazate, Morocco and Todgha Gorge, Morocco (representing the Khyber Pass).
* * * * *
Blu-ray Image Quality – Warner Home Video has brought you this 1975 film release and upgraded in 2003 with this Blu-ray disc in superb 1080p encoded image and equally impressive is the 2.40:1 aspect ratio to show off the best aspect of this film. The source is clean and lacks any kind of grain, so it is likely a light bit of DNR [Digital Noise Reduction] has been applied. Christopher Plummer's face looks too smooth in a few close-ups, but later on in the film I was surprised by the facial detail of deep wrinkles of the withered faces of the elder Kafirs. Colours come across in very strong hues, from the clothing, particularly the vividness of the red British uniforms, to the natural surroundings made up of browns and greens. Blacks are stable throughout the film and there is some occasional crush at night and so a good contrast appears throughout the film. Although softness creeps in during establishing shots and into some backgrounds, details look sharp.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Warner Home Video gives us just the one 1.0 DTS-HD Master Audio experience because of the time when the film was originally released, as they did not have the audio technology like you get today and remaining authentic to Warner Home Video original mono presentation. The audio track is perfect especially with the dialogue, which is very clear, but to experience this I had to crank up the sound a few notches. Although overall it is limited in dynamics, there's a good sound mix of elements, especially when effects can be heard while the music plays, such as in the opening sequence at the marketplace where the sounds of manual woodworking can be heard among the street musicians. The gunfire sequences throughout the film come across as very authentic. Maurice Jarre's music film score sounds absolutely wonderful, and the overall mix is fulsome and very enjoyable.
* * * * *
Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Special Feature: Call It Magic: The Making of ‘THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING’ [1975] [480i] [1.37:1] [12:00] Here we have a vintage special feature that gives us a mix of clips from the film, but also plenty of talking head interviews, with a heavy emphasis on recapping the overall premise of the film. We also get a few behind-the-scenes shots and a number of excerpts from the film itself. John Huston speaks briefly about how long he had been pursuing in making the film ‘THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING,’ to the point of Clark Gable and long-time John Huston collaborator Humphrey Bogart heading his initial dream cast of actors. The sight of seeing John Huston at work on the set in Morocco in the Atlas Mountains is absolutely wonderful, where we get a very detailed look into the film's most ambitious stunt, where we get an in-depth look at the technical stunt set-up where Sir Sean Connery has to fall to his death, which we are informed that it was at a rate of 60 mph when the rope bridge is destroyed by the priest and director John Huston was very pleased with the shoot. "Call It Magic" is rather a cursory, but still fairly intriguing as a historical document that is a joy to watch, even though it is not very long, but certainly packs in a lot of information about the film and all who were involved in the project overall. Narrated by Don Morrow. Contributors include: John Huston [Director], Sir Michael Caine [Actor], Sir Sean Connery [Actor], John Foreman [Producer] and M. James Arnett [Stunt Coordinator]. Directed by Ed Apfel and Lawrence Tetenbaum. Produced by Ed Apfel and Lawrence Tetenbaum. Cinematography by Adam Giffard.
Theatrical Trailer [1975] [1080i] [1.78:1 / 2.40:1] [1:00] This is the Original Theatrical Trailer for the film ‘THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING.’ Although it was a brilliant presentation, but this is the strangest Theatrical Trailer I have ever witness, where it is shown in two different aspect ratios.
BONUS: This is brilliant printed 34-page Limited Edition DigiBook that features several writings on the film entitled THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING: A DREAM REALIZED, A FILM REMEMBERED. SEAN CONNERY as . . . Daniel Dravot. MICHAEL CAINE as . . . Peachy Carnahan. CHRISTOPHER PLUMBER as . . . Rudyard Kipling. JOHN HUSTON: Director/Screenwriter. KIPLING: A Storyteller for the Ages. ACADEMY AWARD® NOMINATIONS. As an added bonus with this beautiful printed DigiBook, is that you get lots of wonderful black-and-white and colour photographs relating to the film. Also I love that on page 3 you get the following “Brother to a Prince and fellow to a beggar if he be found worthy.” Famous first line of Rudyard Kipling’s novel “The Man Who Would Be King.”
Finally, for those seeking adventure set at a time when parts of the world used to be mysterious and exotic, then the film ‘THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING ' is just the ticket for you, as the brilliant fun pairing of Sir Sean Connery and Sir Michael Caine certainly pays off, as the two actor are obviously and clearly having a ball throughout the film and it is a shame they were never able to team up again. With the film ‘THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING,’ not in a very long while has director John Huston, who wrote the screenplay with Gladys Hill and also directed the film, been so successfully light-hearted and so consistently in command of his subject directing this film, especially showing these small-time fraudsters and con men getting well over their heads in a very big way and have always appealed to the scenario by this director, and Daniel "Danny" Dravot as played by Sir Sean Connery and Peachy Carnehan as played by Sir Michael Caine, are two of his nicest discoveries for director John Huston and definitely give a larger-than-life, robust, sometimes curiously prim but suddenly stalwart in the crises that befall them. Christopher Plummer also gives the film great weight in the role of the young Rudyard Kipling, who as a newspaperman in India, participates in the beginning and the end of the story to great effect. Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
